


The Truth Of The Matter

by Potterhead2468



Series: The Sun, The Moon, and The Stars [1]
Category: Night at the Museum (Movies)
Genre: Ahk is sad, Also: Ahk hates gender constraints, Larry is the dad of the museum, Larry tries to cheer him up, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Past Character Death, See also: Ahk tells Larry about his past
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-05
Updated: 2017-01-05
Packaged: 2018-09-14 21:28:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9203915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Potterhead2468/pseuds/Potterhead2468
Summary: When Larry offered to help Ahkmenrah get untangled from his bandages, he had no idea he would learn so much about the pharaoh and his past.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is a work of several months combined, so I’m sorry about any awkward flow.  
> Also this work is for @hell-yeah-ahkmenrah, who helped me come up and develop Ammon and their lovely backstory.

Sometimes Ahk truly wondered if it was worth it to replace his bandages every morning before the sun rose if he would only have to take them off again the next night when he awoke. Of course he knew that his clothes were displayed alongside him and couldn’t simply disappear, and besides he didn’t necessarily fancy the idea of ruining such nice pieces by dying in them every night, but the process of unwrapping and rewrapping the bandages took long enough that by the time he emerged from his tomb everybody was already up and running about the museum.  
  
Most days Larry would pop by just as Ahk was pulling on the last of items so that the two of them could set out to explore and learn about whichever part of the museum they had chosen that day. Ahkmenrah’s enthusiasm to learn as much about what he considered to essentially be his new kingdom as he could, mixed with Larry’s own need to understand as much about each exhibit as possible meant the two of them got on quite well as they made their way through the entire museum.   
  
Larry learned a lot about Ahk on these trips around the museum as well, the pharaoh had stories from Egypt that would fascinate even the most brutal of the exhibits, and had the fighting skills to back up every word he uttered. Something Larry learned after turning one of the unused loading bays into a dedicated sparring area for Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Seeing Ahkmenrah fight was an experience unlike any other Larry had ever been through, and he had a feeling that nothing would be able to top it. Ahk moved fluidly, easily dodged most blows thrown his way, could take down the biggest of his opponents within a few minutes, and had more than once proved himself capable of taking on more than one assailant.   
  
Of course, it wasn’t just the stories of the trouble Ahk got in, or the grave robbers he fought off that fascinated Larry. He was just as content to listen to stories of Ahkmenrah’s childhood, the games he played and the people he knew, what he learned about being a pharaoh and how he ruled his kingdom. Larry already knew that Ahk was a beloved king, but he never truly knew how much the pharaoh was respected and loved by his people until Ahk told him the stories.   
  
Larry’s favorite stories though were the ones Ahkmenrah would tell him about the stars. Stories only the night guard got to hear, as they sat together on the roof when the noise of the museum got too much. Larry had showed Ahk the roof his very first week free, when he realized the pharaoh suffered from claustrophobia and needed a place to escape when it got too much. It was the first time Larry learned just how connected the young pharaoh was to the moon and the stars.   
  
Ahk had so many stories about the stars, he knew the name of every constellation and the story behind them, and the few he didn’t he would soon learn in the books Larry brought him whenever he could, and until he knew the true story he was happy to make up one of his own. On nights when Ahk’s panic and fear got the best of him, Larry would make up his own stories instead for the stars that without fail got the pharaoh to laugh again.   
  
He had only been working at the museum for three months and yet Larry still felt closer to Ahkmenrah than he had to any friend he had made in his life. Ahk was always so open and so unjudgemental, it was easy for Larry to talk to him without fear of how he’d take it. Plus Ahk felt eternal gratitude to the Guardian for saving him, and Larry in return felt undying fatherly protectiveness over the boy just as he did Nicky because he was the one to save him.   
  
So they were close. Really close. Close enough that when Larry arrived early one night to find Ahk struggling to get out of his bandages, he didn’t hesitate to offer his help, and Ahk didn’t even blink before responding, quite grateful for the help.   
  
“You would think it would get easier after time but it really doesn’t.” Ahk mused as worked at unwrapping one of his arms, as Larry worked to free the bandages around his legs. “Of course getting them back on is worse, you don’t know the meaning of the word difficult until you’ve tried to turn yourself back into a mummy. Especially when every part of you is screaming desperately for you not to. The fear, I’m afraid, left by all those years locked up never seems to go away.”   
  
“Why do you put them back on if it’s such a hassle?” Larry asked, pausing to look up at Ahkmenrah, genuinely curious as to how he would answer.   
  
“And ruin such fancy clothes by dying in them every night?” Ahk scoffed, rolling his eyes, but after a minute he sighed softly, adding “Besides, even if I wished to I couldn’t. My clothes are displayed alongside my sarcophagus, they cannot simply disappear. The bandages are my best option.”   
  
“I could bring you some clothes.” Larry replied immediately, almost absently as he began the process of unwrapping the bandages once more. “That way you wouldn’t have to worry about wrinkling your fancy garb, but you wouldn’t have to put on the bandages either.”   
  
“Would you really do that for me?” Ahk asked, his eyes wide, his tone full of wonder as if no one had ever offered him something so nice, and it made Larry’s heart break a little at the thought. The pharaoh had gone so long without anyone showing him any sort of kindness, that even now he still wasn’t used to his nice they all were to him.   
  
“Yeah, I mean of course. It wouldn’t be anything too fancy because you’ll only be wearing it during the day when no one sees you. But it would make it a whole lot easier for you to get dressed when you wake up, and I could make sure it’s something loose so it doesn’t constrict you too much, bring back any bad memories.” Larry shrugged, pulling the last of the bandages off Ahk’s leg and frowning slightly at the marks they had left on his skin. They faded after a moment, but still Larry didn’t like the sight of them, and they made the task of getting Ahk new clothes all the more urgent. “It would only take probably a few hours, I bet we could sneak out tonight if we hurry and get you something. There’s got to be a Walmart or something around here still open, and Teddy and Sac are pretty capable of keeping the others in line.”   
  
“What is a Walmart?” Ahkmenrah asked curiously, both arms free now, and he paused to look down at Larry curiously, his head tilted to the side like a puppy.   
  
“It’s a store, you know a place where you can buy whatever you need. Food, for example, and clothes, they have toys and games, rugs, you know just a lot of things.” Larry explained slowly, glancing up at the pharaoh to see if he actually understood what he was saying. Ahkmenrah still looked slightly perplexed, but for the most part it seemed he understood at least what Larry was trying to get at. Or well enough at least. “It’ll make more sense when you see it.”   
  
The only part of Ahk left now was his torso, the bandages there wrapped much looser than on other spots but they still had been giving the young pharaoh trouble, so he allowed Larry to help him pull them off. By the time he realized it wasn’t a good idea, it was too late. The night guard let out a quiet gasp suddenly, his hand reaching out to touch the white scar on Ahk’s back before he could stop himself, shock rippling his body at the sight.   
  
“There are three more of those.” Ahk whispered after a minute, stepping away from Larry as the night guard just stared, and slowly the pharaoh removed more of his bandages, revealing the other long white scars, two more on his back and one on his lower stomach, all of them clearly made by the same person, at the same time. “They’re my death marks.”   
  
“Oh, oh wow.” Larry stared in shock, falling back on his heels and looking up at Ahkmenrah. “You were, you were stabbed?”   
  
“Four times as I slept yes,” Ahk replied dryly, turning his back to the night guard so that he could pull on his clothes, and so the he wouldn’t have to see the pity that Larry was surely looking at him with. “Three others died that night trying to protect me from the attacker, including my boy-, I mean my best friend in the entire world.”   
  
Ahkmenrah closed his eyes, leaning against his sarcophagus, his breathing picking up just slightly as flashes of that night came back to him. “I can still remember his screams. He came into the room just as I was stabbed the third time, the fourth scar is on my front because I turned towards the noise. I tried to tell him to run, but the words wouldn’t come out. The last thing I saw was him launching at my attacker, and the last I heard was his scream when the knife embedded itself in his stomach.”   
  
“Oh Ahkmenrah,” Larry breathed, hesitating slightly before he wrapped a gentle arm around the pharaoh’s shoulder, pulling him into a half hug that he relaxed into after a moment, Ahk turning himself so his face was buried into the night guard’s chest, and he allowed himself for the first time in years to sob for all he had lost the night he died. Larry, well practiced as a father in comforting sobbing kids, easily wrapped his other arm around Ahk, pulling him into a former hug, rocking them back and forth slightly as he rubbed soothing circles on the pharaoh’s lower back. “Shh, it’s okay Ahk. Let it out, it’s okay. You’re okay.”   
  
It didn’t take very long for Ahkmenrah to calm down again. It wasn’t even ten minutes later that he pulled away, looking incredibly embarrassed as he wiped his eyes, rapidly pulling himself together again. “I’m sorry Larry. I should not have lost it like that, it has just been so long since I talked about it.”   
  
“Hey, you’re allowed to feel things and act on those feelings, okay Ahk? You’re human, it’s not healthy to keep it all bottled up.” Larry smiled comfortingly, reaching over and squeezing Ahk’s shoulder in a very fatherly manner. “No one here is going to judge you I promise. We all love you.”   
  
“A pharaoh must never show weakness Larry.” Ahkmenrah replied, placing his crown on his head as he spoke, rolling back his shoulders so he could stand a little straighter. “If we are weak we are vulnerable, and that is the worst thing a pharaoh could ever be, for there are many people just waiting for a chance to take us out.”   
  
“Hey, times have changed okay? You’re safe here, well at least from assassins. I can’t promise you’re safe from injury because things can get pretty wild out there.” Larry chuckled slightly, pointing out the door and eliciting a small smile from Ahk, who nodded in agreement. The others could get pretty rough, and Ahkmenrah was especially vulnerable to their antics as he could be left with blood and bruises that only a human could form. The worst that could happen to the others was a dent or scratch in their wax. “But you can let your guard down around us okay? Everyone out there, they love you like a brother, they care about you, and they still see you as a pharaoh no matter how you act. You bring them to life Ahk, they will always respect you for that.”   
  
“It is more than that,” Ahkmenrah sighed, shaking his head. “It was how I was raised. It’s the way to be a proper prince. And after 4,000 years it is not something easily unlearned.”   
  
“You mean there was no one you could be yourself around back in Egypt?” Larry asked, his eyes widening in surprise as he looked at the young pharaoh. “You didn’t have any friends, siblings…?”   
  
“No one could ever be relaxed around my brother. I still trusted him to see a less put together side of me than my parents, but there was no way to let all your walls down around him.” Ahk frowned as he thought about his brother, the sting of betrayal still fresh in his mind, but it didn’t hurt as much as it did when he spoke of the next person “The only person who ever got to see all of me was the man I trusted with my life. He was, my best friend, a servant boy who grew into my guard as we aged. From the time we were kids we grew together, we were hardly separate in the times neither of us were busy. The older we got, the less time we got to spend with one another. But the time we did have was some of the greatest in my life.”   
  
Larry smiled softly at the way Ahk’s voice softened as he spoke of this mystery man, who clearly meant so much more to him that he was letting on. Wanting to know more, Larry nodded towards the door, giving Ahk a half smile as he said “Come on, let’s go take a walk and you can tell me all about him. Maybe we’ll find some clothes for you along the way.”   
  
Ahkmenrah smiled slightly in return, taking a minute to compose himself before he followed the night guard out the door of his tomb, and down the hall to the security desk, where predictably Teddy stood nearby with Sacagawea.   
  
The two easily agreed to watch things for a few hours, the museum had been getting on so much better lately they were sure they could handle it, and Larry promised to be only a phone call away if they needed him.   
  
“Don’t worry Lawrence, we’ve got it here. You and Ahkmenrah just go have a good time.” Teddy assured him, clapping Larry briefly on the shoulder and then night guard swore he saw the former president wink at him before he and Sacagawea shooed the pair from the museum.   
  
“Guardian of Brooklyn,” Ahk said slowly, his eyebrows furrowed slightly as he looked over at Larry, who had the same slightly puzzled look on his face. “Do you think they…”   
  
“No, no. That’s crazy.” Larry laughed, shaking his head. “I mean, we’re just friends.”   
  
“Yes, we are. The best of friends, but still only friends.” Ahkmenrah agreed, feeling immensely more relieved from Larry’s answer. He wasn’t sure what he’d do if the night guard actually liked him as more than a friend. “I am actually quite glad you feel the same way about this as I do.”   
  
Larry tilted his head slightly, not sure if he should feel offended or just confused. Ahk laughed softly, looking away from the night guard to stare up at the stars, shaking his head slightly. “It is not you Larry, do not worry. You are a very attractive man, and an incredibly nice one. Anyone shall be lucky to date you.”   
  
Ahk sighed heavily, a tiny smile tugging at the corner of his lips as he caught sight of the full moon in the night sky. “My heart, though, belongs to another. It has all my life, and for the rest of eternity it shall remain with him.”   
  
“The best friend from earlier?” Larry asked knowingly, not missing a beat, even when Ahk blinked at him in surprise. “You got this look when you talked about him, I kind of figured it out. You want to tell me about him?”   
  
“His name was Ammon and he was, my best friend in the entire kingdom. My only friend truthfully. We were always so close, spent so much time together, I suppose the progression of feelings was only natural.” Ahk’s eyes returned to the sky, to the shining moon above, as he spoke, not wanting the night guard to see the million of emotions passing across his face as he spoke. “He kissed me first, one night in my bed chamber as we gossiped on my bed, he just leaned over and kissed me. It was the best moment in my life.   
  
"We never told anyone of us dating, of course. He was only a servant and I was a prince, we had no idea how my parents would take it, so we never told them. Every night he would sneak into my room, and until sunrise he would stay with me.” Ahk stopped walking for a second, and Larry paused beside him, watching the pharaoh curiously, waiting until he was ready to go on. “We kept it up for over two years, no one ever found out, or at least they never said anything to us about it. But on my 18th birthday we decided to tell my parents, hoping that if I was not meant to be king then maybe they would accept us together. My parents loved me dearly, truthfully I was the favorite child, so I was hopeful they’d take the news well.”   
  
Ahk sighed as he started to walk again, his pace slower than before. His legs didn’t want to move but he knew he needed to before he collapsed into a pile on the floor and never got up. He had to continue on. “But then, a few days shy of my birthday, my father fell terribly ill, we weren’t sure if he would recover, it certainly seemed as if he would not. My brother naturally took command for a few days as my father could no longer rule, it was a test run to see how he would fair as Pharaoh once father was gone.   
  
"He failed. Miserably so. You see my brother was an incredibly cruel ruler, very harsh and strict, I’ve heard some people go as far as to call him evil. My father knew he could not leave him the throne, and so the day before my 18th birthday he announced I was to take the throne over my brother whence he died. My father never lived to see the morning sun again, and so the next morning, I was crowned Pharaoh. My brother threw a fit, he and I were never spectacularly close but I still used to be the only one who he was ever nice to. The day though I did something Kah couldn’t ever forgive me for. When he looked at me for the first time when we were alone, it was the first time I had ever felt true fear caused by him.” Ahkmenrah shuddered slightly just from the memory, the day as fresh in his mind as if it was yesterday. He can still hear his brothers voice, full of malice and hatred all aimed towards him, all because his father chose him over Kah. “Truthfully I never wanted the throne. As much as I cared for my people and for my country, I did not believe I was fit to be a ruler. I did not have the discipline my dad did, nor the knowledge, in fact I hadn’t a clue on how to act or what to do at first.”   
  
“You were a great leader Ahk. Your people loved you and respected you. You didn’t rule for long, but still you went down as one of the great kings.” Larry replied, making the young pharaoh laugh softly because even he knew that was a slight exaggeration, that the night guard was only doing it to make him feel better. “And I mean, I know none of us lived in Ancient Egypt or anything, but to all of us you’re the greatest king ever to be in the museum.”   
  
“Yes well it is much easier for you to say that as you never met the other pharaohs. But I thank you for your compliment anyways.” Ahk bowed his head slightly towards the night guard, a slight smile on his face. “There was more to why I didn’t want the crown besides that. I knew I could get over my insecurities and learn how to be a proper king over time, but I knew if I took the throne I could never-”   
  
Ahk paused, swallowing harshly, praying the tears wouldn’t come when he spoke again. “-Never be with Ammon. He was a servant, and even if he wasn’t, there was no way for the two of us to continue on the bloodline. I had a duty to my people and to my country, and as much as I wanted to be with him, I could not. My heart has never stopped aching for him since that night, and it never will.”   
  
Ahk wiped his eyes before the tears could fall, turning towards Larry only when the night guard reached over to squeeze his shoulder tightly, eliciting a weak smile from the pharaoh in return. “He broke up with me. He always was so much stronger than I was. We still saw each other, he would still sneak into my room some nights, but it was never the same. We both knew then that forever could never happen.”   
  
“And then, only a few months after I took the throne, one night my brother came into my room and killed me. Ammon heard my screams and rushed to my aid, but it was too late. My brother killed him as well.” Ahk wiped his eyes the tears started to fall despite his best attempt to keep them at bay, and without a word Larry reached into his pocket and pulled a few tissues.   
  
“I thought you might need them, so I grabbed them before we left.” The night guard explained, offering one out to the pharaoh who gratefully took it.   
  
“You know what the last words he ever said were?” Ahk asked after a moment, laughing brokenly before nodding up at moon. “Kah left and he was bleeding out on the floor, and I was nearly dead on the bed, but somehow he managed to make his way over to me, and just before I died I remember his hand on my cheek, and he whispered softly ‘My moon, I love you.’ And it hurt in more ways than I can explain when I replied 'Love you sun’”   
  
“The worst part is, when I woke up the next night thanks to the tablet magic, he wasn’t there. I knew instantly something was missing, before I even opened my eyes I could tell something was gone. When I realized I would never see him again, I cried harder than I had my entire life. Half of my life has been missing since that day. Half of my life I will never get back.” Ahkmenrah sighed heavily, squeezing his eyes shut like he was in pain. Which, Larry realized dully, he probably was. From the way he talked it certainly sounded like it.   
  
“Ahk I-” Larry started, about to comfort the pharaoh but before he could Ahkmenrah was shaking his head to cut him off.   
  
“Don’t.” Ahk said sharply, letting out a deep breath slowly. “I do not want your pity, Guardian of Brooklyn, nor do I need it. It has been thousands of years. I am okay, truly.”   
  
And Ahkmenrah forced a smile as he looked at the night guard, trying to make it seem as if nothing was wrong. If Larry hadn’t spent the last 30 minutes listening to Ahk talk maybe he would have believed him. As it was, it was clear that he was anything but okay.   
  
“Humor me then,” Larry replied, trying to use the same tactic he did for getting Nicky to talk when he was upset. “Tell me what he was like.”   
  
“Ammon was, he was the amazing man I ever knew. He was smart, funny, he always had the best jokes and he would laugh at everything. His laugh was like music, and he had a smile that could light up an entire room. He was so strong too, even when I would break he’d still be standing there like a rock. It is one of the things I loved most about him.” Ahkmenrah explained, his face softening and a true smile flitting across his face as he spoke. “He had a way, too, of making you feel as if you were the only one in the room when you spoke. Though,” Ahk paused, laughing softly. “That may have just been something he did for me.”   
  
“When did you know you loved him?” Larry asked curiously, wanting to keep the happy mood Ahkmenrah had created talking about his lost love, wanting to keep him smiling just a little longer. “Was there a moment or…?”   
  
“There was one moment, I think, when I looked at him and realized that I just, I could not bare a life without him in it. Couldn’t even imagine it, it hurt so much.” Ahkmenrah admitted after a moment, smiling fondly as he thought of the memory, the excitement and fear of that first rush of feelings. “I was out in town visiting the people as I often did, the castle did get rather lonely at times, accompanied by Ammon, whom the town loved just as much as they did me.   
  
"At the time we were only 15, which only makes me admire his actions so much more. We were walking down the street on the way back to the palace after a long day visiting the people, when a man I had never seen before stepped out of the shadows and threatened us. I do not know, truthfully, if he knew who I was or not, but either way it did not stop Ammon. He bravely stepped in front of me and defended me from this man’s attack, until the commotion drew attention and then man was sent running. Luckily Ammon knew quite a bit of fighting himself, we often practiced alongside each other, but the man still managed to get in a few good punches and had caused him to bleed slightly just here.” Ahk’s own hand brushed just below his eyebrow, where the scar used to lay on his boyfriend’s head. “Even though he wasn’t seriously hurt, I still felt more worry than I could ever remember feeling over the thought that he could have been. It was then I realized I could never live without him at my side, though it wasn’t for a few months still that I realized the reason for that was because I loved him.”   
  
“Was that before or after you kissed him?” Larry teased, bumping shoulders with Ahkmenrah lightly, causing the pharaoh to laugh quietly.   
  
“Well first off he kissed me. I would never have been brave enough to kiss him first.” Ahkmenrah shook his head, the softest smile on his face as he thought about it. “Truthfully my feelings for Ammon terrified me, which was probably why I stayed in denial for so long. But the second our lips connected, everything suddenly became clear. I wound up laughing in pure delight from my discovery, which of course made Ammon laugh, and so our kiss didn’t last long but it was wonderful. And we made up for the shortness with the many kisses we shared after that.”   
  
“You really do love him, don’t you?” Larry asked, staring at Ahkmenrah with a look the pharaoh couldn’t quite understand, almost fondly like a father would look at his son, but there was something more there Ahk just couldn’t place, no matter how hard he tried.   
  
“I love him more than there are stars in the sky.” Ahk replied truthfully, sadness tinging his voice as he looked up at the sky once more, up to the full moon above them. “I would give anything to have him back again. There were many days before I came to Cambridge that I begged my parents to let me turn the tablet so we would not wake the next morning. They never would let me though, as much as I could tell they hated to listen to be so broken. After a while I stopped asking them, but there were many nights still I would spend planning a way to ensure the magic of the tablet failed. Truly dying is the only way we will ever meet again.”   
  
“Then again,” Ahkmenrah sighed heavily, walking a little in front of Larry so he wouldn’t have to look at him when he continued. “I’m not sure if I can truly die. I have no idea what my parents promised to have the tablet blessed from the Gods, perhaps my inability to find peace in the afterlife was part of it.”   
  
“I wish there was some way I could help you.” Larry said after a minute of silence, grabbing Ahkmenrah’s elbow before the pharaoh could pass the turn they needed to take, giving him a sad smile when their eyes met. “You deserve to happy Ahk.”   
  
“It’s not your job Larry,” Ahkmenrah started, shaking his head at the night guard.   
  
“It is though.” Larry cut in, before Ahk could argue his point any further, with a tone that said he wasn’t going to back down over this. “Both as the night guard, whose job is to protect and care for, which includes making sure you’re happy. And it’s my responsibility as your friend, and as a father, who knows that you deserve to be happy after all you’ve suffered.”   
  
“You’re just as much a son to me as Nicky is.” Larry said seriously, squeezing Ahk in a one arm hug when he saw the tears welling up in the young pharaoh’s eyes, even if he pretended not to see them as Ahkmenrah hastened to wipe them away. “And so it is my duty to make sure that somehow, someway, you get you happiness Ahk.”   
  
“I- Thank you Larry.” Ahkmenrah replied, his voice thick with emotions that he was trying desperately to suppress, lest he break down in the middle of a New York sidewalk. He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly so that when he spoke again, his voice was much more in his own control. “It would be an honor to be a son of yours, you are a very fine father to young Nicholas, though a far different one than my father ever was. Not in a bad way, of course, in fact in many ways I think you understand me much more than my own father ever could.   
  
"My father was a good man, but he was also…” Ahkmenrah added quickly when he noticed the concern look on Larry’s face, pausing for a moment as he struggled to think of the right word, of what he wanted to say. “He was a pharaoh. He was very much a man in charge, he wanted me to be much like him, a proper prince. I could never quite manage it though, for I am not that person. I like to talk far too much, I get much too excited and laugh far too loud, and care far more deeply than a pharaoh should. I love my father, but I don’t think he ever understood me much as I never understood him.”   
  
“I know what you mean. My father and I never exactly saw eye to eye either.” Larry admitted, laughing softly as he thought of all the times he had fought with his father over not being the man he thought he should be. Ahk looked over him, eyebrows crinkling in confusion, which only made Larry laugh a little more. “We fought more often then we didn’t. He had one view for my life and I had an entirely different one. At the end of the day we still loved each other, and I know he was proud of me, but we just never quite had the relationship I wanted.”   
  
“I think quite a few of the others have issues with their own fathers too you know.” Ahk mused quietly after a minute, glancing over at Larry with a slight smile. “You’ve become quite the surrogate father for them. Perhaps we should all just call you 'Dad’.”   
  
Larry groaned loudly, shoving Ahk lightly. “No. Absolutely not. As much as I feel like all of your father…”   
  
“Oh but Larry the title fits you so well.” Ahkmenrah teased, not missing a beat as he pushed the night guard back easily, a mischievous grin on his face. “I am sure Nicky would agree with me.”   
  
“Ahkmenrah don’t you dare.” Larry threatened, like a father talking to his child, but the pharaoh simply cackled in return.   
  
“Oh it is too late Guardian of Brooklyn. You are now the Dad of the museum.” 

* * *

Clothing shopping with Ahkmenrah was both incredibly easy and difficult at the same time. On one hand the pharaoh was not incredibly picky when it came to the clothing, after all it was mostly for 'sleeping’ anyways, but on the other hand introducing him to the idea of women and men’s clothing sent him into a rant Larry wasn’t sure would ever end. Eventually it took the reminder that the rest of the museum was waiting for them to get Ahk to calm down long enough to purchase his items (An oversized long sleeved 'Moon Child’ shirt and a pair of sweats, as well as some fuzzy socks he insisted upon buying), but the entire trip back (They took a taxi this time), he ranted over the stupid idea of gender separation in something as simple as clothes.  
  
Larry tried his best to keep up with Ahk’s ranting, but at some point the pharaoh slipped back into Ancient Egyptian, and so it sounded more like he was muttering curses than actual complaints. Which, Larry thought, was  entirely plausible considering his history. Though who he was cursing was still a mystery to Larry.   
  
The museum was in reasonable chaos when they arrived back, and so while Ahk took to the computer to vent his frustrations to others that felt the same way, Larry rushed off to help find Rexy’s bone that Jed and Octavius had somehow lost, causing the dinosaur to go crazy looking for it, similar to the way a dog would when they lost their favorite toy.   
  
They did eventually find the missing rib (Lewis and Clarke stumbled upon it during their explorations of the upper floors and had decided to study it before returning it), but Rexy had caused quite the mess in his search for the rib and so Larry was left organizing the cleanup for that. By the time he finally got a break, it was nearly time for the sun to rise and for him to make his final rounds. Still he found a few minutes to pause at the information desk, collapsing into the chair beside Ahkmenrah utterly exhausted from the night, closing his eyes as soon as he sat down and groaning slightly in relief.   
  
“Are you okay Guardian of Brooklyn?” Ahk asked concerned, looking away from the computer screen to study Larry, his eyebrows furrowing when he noticed just how tired Larry looked. “You look as if you are about to fall over in exhaustion.”   
  
“I’m fine Ahk. Just been a long day.” Larry sighed, rubbing his temples before letting out a quiet laugh. “Long night. I can’t believe Lewis and Clarke had the bone the whole time.”   
  
“Well you know them, they do like to explore as much as they can about this museum,” Ahkmenrah replied, shaking his head fondly at the thought of the pair. “At least they we’re willing to return. Who knows what trouble would have ensued if the Neanderthals had gotten ahold of the bone.”   
  
“They would have never given it back.” Larry agreed, groaning slightly at the thought. “Probably would have thought it was a weapon or something.”   
  
Ahkmenrah laughed in agreement, turning back towards the computer screen and the drawing he had been creating digitally there. It was a beautifully detailed one, something he had been spending most of the night on.   
  
“Who is that?” Larry asked, looking over Ahk’s shoulder curiously, sucking in a sharp breath in shock when he saw the full drawing. “Ahk did you draw this? It’s incredible.”   
  
“This is Ammon. Or well, this is what he looked like. Truthfully it does not nearly do justice to his beauty, no matter how hard I try to get it right.” Ahkmenrah sighed, a soft smile crossing his face as he stared at the screen, and the beautiful boy that was smiling back at him. “Nothing will compare to the real thing though.”   
  
Larry stared at the computer screen a moment longer, smiling slightly when the idea hit him. It was crazy, and it could go terribly wrong, but if it went right it would make Ahkmenrah incredibly happy.   
  
“Come on,” Larry said, trying to hide his smile as he stood up, clapping Ahk lightly on the shoulder. “The sun’s about to rise.”   
  
Ahk sighed, saving the photo onto the desktop before closing it, walking towards his tomb slowly, stopping at the window just down the hall to look at the moon. The sight made him smile faintly, and gently he kissed his hand, holding it up to the sky. “I love you Ammon.”   
  
Then Ahk turned, walking into his tomb to change his clothes and climb into his sarcophagus, his heart feeling far heavier than it had in years.   
  
And Ahk was crying as the sun came up that morning.   
  
Larry heard as he walked past, heard the quiet sobs just before everything fell still, and it made him that much more determined of his mission.   
  
He was going to get Ammon back for Ahkmenrah. Even if it was only a wax Ammon, he was going to be here.   
  
All he had to do was get McPhee to agree. Which perhaps was easier said than done. But he had the picture of Ammon, and he had the argument of a far too small Egyptian display (It was very empty in there, after all.). He just hoped it would be enough.

**Author's Note:**

> This is going to be the first in an (eventual) series of stories about Ahkmenrah, Ammon, their life at the museum, and the trouble they get into. Including the controversy they stir up in historians after they display their relationship openly at the living museum. The series is probably going to stray a bit from cannon, not a whole lot, but there are some things I have up my sleeve.  
> Or, well me and @hell-yeah-ahkmenrah have up our sleeves. This entire series was inspired by our conversations.


End file.
